The digital revolution is transforming the workplace, especially with the development of various digital tools that help complete traditional tasks. We will see a very different way of working in a few years. This has also affected the skills people need to work.
According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia’s Graduate Statistics 2021, released on Wednesday, 28 July 2022, the number of graduates in Malaysia in 2021 increased by 4.7% to 5.61 million, up from 5.36 million in 2020.
The number of students entering the workforce will likely increase in the future, making it more and more important for students to be prepared for the world of work they will enter.
Additionally, those already employed need to be equipped with the skills needed for the future to cope with the fast-paced, innovative nature of the digital world. Dell Technologies, in collaboration with Institute for the Future (IFTF), has even predicted that 85% of the jobs that will be available in 2030 don’t yet exist!
For many years now, basic digital skills have been crucial for employment. However, to effectively prepare employees for success, just implementing any training modules or digital programmes without proper planning is insufficient. We must also start implementing a holistic and powerful future skills forecasting system.
To be able to do this, businesses and educational institutions need to work closely to identify what digital skills are needed in the future. This will also help prevent further shortages of digital skills.
It is especially important in light of the recent shift to a more digital workplace and remote working, where there has been a huge increase in the number of positions available for those with advanced skillsets, such as software developers and engineers.
To effectively upskill and reskill their workforce, businesses and organisations need to learn how to identify the gaps in their workforce’s skills.
A shift in attitude and mindset is also required, where learning should no longer be seen as something that has to be done as and when it is needed. With the advent of online learning and wide access to various online courses, learning should be viewed as a lifelong endeavour.
In the end, it’s important to know that work will continue to change. Even though we might not be able to predict exactly how it will change, it is still imperative that we lay the groundwork now so we can continue to benefit from the digital revolution.
